Monday, March 28, 2016

I only have one complaint for Patricia Briggs's books – I
read them much faster than she writes them! And as much as I whine about that,
her books are worth the wait. If she rushed through writing them, they would
not be. And she gives enough information at the beginning that if you read the
last one, you'll know what's going on, and if you didn't read the last one,
you'll know what's going on and won't be thinking, "Huh??"

Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite characters, and her
universe one of my favorite places to visit. Being invited to come into that
universe and play with the characters is always fun, and I never say,
"No." Never. And I'm never, ever, sorry I entered their world.

Mercy and Adam have taken in a foster child who is not quite
what he seems to be. Aiden is human, but "raised" by the fae,
Underhill. And Underhill wants him back, as do other fae, and not for anything
nice. Mercy and Adam have accepted him, in the beginning, under the rules of
guesting, and refuse to hand him over. The whole pack will protect him as long
as he does not break the rules. (Does trying to burn down the house count as a
breach of etiquette?) The fae want this child, and they want him badly enough
to start an all-out war with the humans and the wolves in order to get him. And
the Marrock has severed all ties. (For those not familiar with the series, the
Marrock is the Alpha Alpha of the North American werewolves). Mercy, Adam,
& the pack are on their own!

Had I started this book earlier in the day, it would have
been a one-sit read. However, I began it too late in the day, and it actually
took me two days to read. A great read, and well worth your time and money. Buy
it, read it, review it.

The story of Ward continues (from Dragon Bones). Hurog Keep
lies in a heap, destroyed by powerful magic, and Ward must rebuild it. He takes
his duties as Lord Hurog seriously, and wishes only to protect his people from
wars, starvation, and evil.

Unfortunately, rebellion is brewing against the evil usurper
High King Jakoven, and Ward is sucked into joining the rebels. But the High
King has a secret weapon, and nothing will stop him from using what he has to
gain what he wants, and he wants Ward, the "simple" Lord of Hurog.

I love it when I find a 'one-sit' read, and Patricia Briggs
write those kinds of books for me. I have no choice to sit and read until the
end, and then I'm usually sorry I did because it is The End and I must leave a
great read about a fantastical universe populated by people I'd like to know in
real life. Well, some of them. Briggs has the right balance of humor (I laughed
out loud more than once) and adrenaline.

Please, Ms. Briggs, bring us more of this universe. Do not
let this be a two-book series.

Yes, it's another book about dragons. But, oh what dragons!
These are dragons like you've not met before, and they are wonderfully,
marvelously created by a master storyteller.

Ward Hurog is smart enough to survive, and protect his
younger siblings, from a father who wants to see them dead. Ward is, to all
outward appearances, a simpleton, due to the beatings by his father. And he is
the heir to the old Hurog keep, and the curse that goes along with it.

When his father dies in a hunting accident, and Ward becomes
Lord Hurog, he is yet too young (and simple, don't forget that) to take over
the duties, so his uncle steps in to act as regent. Only the old ghost who only
shows himself to Ward, Wards mute sister who is an easy target for the ruffians
because she cannot speak in her defense, and Ward knows about the dragon bones
in the dungeon. For that matter, only they know about the dungeon. But there
are old stories out there about the bones, and when a war is fought to gain
Hurog Keep, and the bones, Ward must do the unthinkable to save not only the
Keep, but the Kingdom. For whoever has the bones, has a great and terrible
power.

Briggs is a master at weaving stories with both bright and dark
threads, perfectly balanced, into a tapestry one does not soon forget. When I
finish a book, I want to feel better for having read it, for having lived in a
different time and place, than when I picked the book up and began reading.
Patricia Briggs meets that criterion for me, every single time, and this book
is no exception.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

This is the first Libbie Hawker book I've read. It will not
be the last!

I love reading about Ancient Egypt, especially about
Amenhotep/Akhenaten and the upheaval he caused.

Let's be clear about something right off the bat – this is
FICTION. Does she write about some of the characters as I think they might have
been? No. But I like her ideas. Like some reviewers, I thought it ended rather
abruptly, and then I realized this is Part 1 of 2 parts, and the rest of it
must be in the second part? Perhaps? Do ya think?

Ms. Hawker has obviously done a great deal of research for
this series of books, and I found her characters if not to my liking, pretty
well developed, with the possible exception of Akhenaten, but I'm willing to
see if he develops in the later books.

One of the fun things about historical fiction, especially
about times so far gone in history as to be at best covered in dust, is the
author can do anything she wants, and tell the story the way she wants to. And
this is a great story. I look forward to reading Part 2. And it still falls
within the realms of possibility and reality.

This book is set in the same universe as the Black Jewels
trilogy, only considerably earlier. This is a stand alone book, not part of a
set (but is part of the series), so we only have one book to meet the
characters, and read the story.

I read the trilogy first, so knew a bit of the background;
however, I think one can read it without knowing everything the trilogy has to
offer. Knowing some of the characters helped, though.

Jared, a young warlord, is tricked into becoming a pleasure
slave, and eventually reaches his breaking point, and kills the queen who
abuses him. Slated for the mines, he is bought by a young queen, and freed,
only to be held by the invisible ring, which is stronger, and more powerful
than the crippling pain-inducing ring of a pleasure slave.

Anne Bishop not only develops unique characters, but unique
universes. Seldom have I enjoyed playing in such diverse and well developed
places with such marvelous people. I really do hate to reach those final two
words, The End, or her novels, because I want more. I don't want to come home
to dishes and unmade beds, I want to stay outside and chase the fireflies, or
whatever. When the books end, I hate to say "Goodbye" to my new and best
friends.